George Clooney defends Mark Ruffalo amid 'ridiculous' antisemitism accusations

George Clooney has defended Mark Ruffalo after he was accused of being antisemitic.

The Ocean's Eleven actor addressed the recent controversy surrounding Ruffalo, after he was accused of being antisemitic following a social media post in which he spoke out against the proposed Paramount and Warner Bros merger.

"I support Mark Ruffalo's ability to speak freely," Clooney said during a conference at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, describing the recent controversy as "ridiculous".

The Academy Award-nominated actor added, "We're not going to ban speech. I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That's important. In fact, it's part of how democracy works."

When asked for his own opinion on the merger, Clooney explained it was "a complicated thing", adding that he "doesn't know how it works out".

"I don't see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We'll see. I worry when a big company swallows up another company," he stressed. "I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it means a lot of people are going to lose their jobs."

Ruffalo has been a vocal opponent since Paramount Skydance's proposed $111 billion (£81.4 billion) acquisition of Warner Bros. was announced in February. He has rejected allegations that his social media post about the deal invoked "antisemitic tropes".

Writing in a post on X on 22 September, the Avengers actor stated, "The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it, is not the same as criticising Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel."

He added that he has "deep love and respect" for Jewish people.

Earlier this week, more than 180 Jewish figures in the entertainment industry signed an open letter in support of Ruffalo, including Joaquin Phoenix, Hannah Einbinder and director Joel Coen.